-October 14, 2020-
Good morning, happy Wednesday,
-Don’t Be Conformed To This World But Be Transformed By The Renewing Of Your Minds-
“And do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind, that you may prove what is that good and acceptable and perfect will of God.”
(Romans 12:2).
The world is one of our three great enemies, along with flesh and the devil. The world in the NT means three different things depending on the context. One, the cosmos, the earth itself, two, the people of the earth, and three, the system of this life that is from the devil and is against Christ. It is the third one that Paul is speaking of.
Paul warns the saints at Rome, as he does us, not to be conformed to this world. The Berkeley paraphrase of this verse says, “Do not let the world squeeze you into its mold.” A jello mold is large, round plastic pan. You pour the liquid mixture of water and jello mix into the pan and place it into the refrigerator and the jello takes on the shape of the pan. We must not think like the world, speak like the world, or act like the world.
John wrote in 1 John 2:15-17, “Do not love the world or the things in the world. If anyone loves the world, the love of the Father is not in him. For all that is in the world — the lust of the flesh, the lust of the eyes, and the pride of life — is not of the Father but is of the world. And the world is passing away, and the lust of it; but he who does the will of God abides forever.”
Instead, we must be transformed by the renewing of our minds in order to prove God’s will, which is good, acceptable, and perfect. How do we renew our minds, you ask? The Holy Spirit uses the Word of God to purify our minds from the sin, evil, wickedness, and contamination of this world. What we read, what we watch on TV or the movies, or who we are around as friends can all affect us. The world can “rub off” on us very easily. 1 Corinthians 15:33 says, “Do not be deceived: evil company corrupts good habits.”
If we renew our mind through God’s Word, we will prove or demonstrate God’s will. None of us as believers want to do our own will or the will of man, but we want to do God’s will in all things. There will always be the conflict between the two. What we fill our minds with determines our words and actions.
When we get saved, there is an immediate change in our lives. As we grow in Christ, the Lord works to change our character into the image of Christ. He gives us the mind of Christ; He replaces bad habits with new ones, old friends with new ones, and old desires with new ones. It is a growth process of surrendering ourselves fully to the Lord.
May the Lord help us not be conformed to this sinful world but transformed by the renewing of our minds through the Word of God. We must be sober and vigilant, and put on the whole armor of God daily.
Have a blessed day of being transformed into the image of Christ. Stay safe and healthy.
Dean
Dean Allen's Daily Devotional 